Sice-httxieb



. P. McKINLAY;

Rice Cleaner.

Patented- March 310, 1852. I

PETER MCKINLAY, OF CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA.

BICE-I-IULLER.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 8,841, dated March 30, 1852.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, PETER MOKINLAY, of

the city of Charleston, in the State of South Fig.1. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal inside view of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 1s a transverse inside View of Fig. 2.

Similar letters in the-several figures refer to corresponding parts.

The nature of my invention consists in having a circular conical chamber into which the rice is put after having the outside shell taken off by a pair of stones operated on in the usual way. The rice after having the outer shell taken off has still a thin film or skin on it of a dark color.

The object of invention is to take 0E this skin or film by rotary friction without breaking the grain, by which means the market value of the article is increased.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

Fig. 2, A is the movable cover; 0, 0, shows the outside shape of the rice cleaner and may be of wood or iron. The dark part N is either stone or metal and put in between the parts 0, O, and are then screwed together by the screws C, C, C, C, as shown in Fig. 1, by which arrangement the metal or stone can be taken out and renewed as required.

Fig. 3, A is the movable cover by which the circular conical chamber is closed after the rice has been put in, and the process of cleaning can beexamined. C is a continuation. of the opening. M, M, arefiutes radiating from the center to the inner diameter of the chamber. The flutes may be of any number, say from 12 to 20, sunk to about an inch at thecenter and brought to a sharp edge between each. D, D, is the rotar arms, which may be straight or circular as shown. These are secured by the boss E, to the shaft Gr, G, which passes through the chamber and rests on bearings. The pulleys F, F, are also on the shaft G, G, and by which motion is communicated from the motiye power to the rotary arms D, D, and as they may revolve in either direction the rice is forced by them against the sharp edges of the plates. The dark part N in Figs. 2 and 4 may be of stone, metal or any other substance having a rough surface put in as mentioned in Fig. 2. The rotary arms D, D, pass immediately over this rough surface in the rotary motion and come to within threefourths of an inch of the circle, where the flutes end, so as to allow a portion of the rice to be between the end of the rotary arm D, D, and the rough surface I. B, the

opening by which the rice is let out when cleaned.

Fig. 4, A, 18 the movable cover. C 1s a continuation of opening shown in Fig. 3, G, G, is the shaft passing through the chamber on which is the rotary arms 71., H, as also the pulleys F, F. H shows the back of the rotary arm, which is fiat from the boss E, to the end. 72. shows the face or working front. It is made to come to a sharp edge from the back to the front to within 5 or 6 inches of theend L, which is slightly convex across the face and on which may be fastened stone or metal or simply the end of the arm as shown at L. As above mentioned the dark part shows to where the arms come to within three-fourths of an inch of it, where the rice is rubbed by the arms D, D, of Fig. 3, as it revolves the rice being forced between the rough surface and the end ofthe arm as well as by its friction against the sharp edges of the flutes as shown at m, m. P, P, shows the form of the chamber which may be of wood or iron, if of iron three-eighths of an inch in thickness or of wood as shown in the drawings at a scale of an inch to the foot but may be of any capacity from a half bushel to five bushels, the same proportions being observed.

The operation of my rice cleaner is as follows: Let a quantity of rice be put in to the circular conical chamber so as to fill it up a little above the shaft. Rotary. motion is communicated from the driving shaft to the pulley that is on the shaft that passes through the machine and by which the arms are set in motion at the rate of from 80 to 100 per minute. By this means a large amount of friction is brought to use on the rice and thereby avoiding all percussive force, so that the rice is less broken than by any other method IlOW in use that I am aware of, Way become deranged and not expensive to thereby increasing its market value in probe repaired. Y portion as the grains are kept Whole. I claim as my invention The advantage of my invention over all The combination of the concave fluted 5 others is its simplicity of operation and the chambers With the smooth curved radial 15 absence of all heavy machinery such as is beaters forv hulling rice as set forth.

110W in use at present. In consequence there PETER MOKINLAY. is a great saving of power. It can be driven Witnesses: with cog gearing or by band and pulley. BENJAMIN L. COLE,

0 It is not liable to get out of order or in any F. W. AVERFELD. 

